The Unstoppable Force
by Splazin101
Summary: Mark Sherman moved to Japan with his mother in 2021. In Q1 of 2022, the first ever MMORPG was announced to be released to the public on November 24th, 2022. Mark's life changes on his birthday when he first enters the world of Aincrad. Akihiko Kayaba puts human ingenuity to the test, and Mark is ready to prove him wrong. Rated M for language and sexual content (later on).
1. Chapter 1

I was born in America, but moved to Japan with my mother when I was 18, barely. A month after my birthday in 2021, my mother, Mary was accepted for an accounting position at a video game company called Argus. In Q1 of 2022, Argus announced that the first ever VRMMORPG would be hitting shelves on November 24th, 2022. As an employee of Argus, Mary would receive her own free copy of the game, and the console needed to run it; the NerveGear. While I missed my chance to get in on the beta for Sword Art Online, I did not miss the worldwide release. In fact, I was second in line to receive my preordered copy, behind a very pretty girl with chestnut hair and brown eyes. After camping out for days outside the GameStop closest to his house, Asuna (the girl) and I had become very close. Asuna was a year younger than I at 18, and a few months into her last year of high school.

"That's called Senior Year, in America." I told her.

"Oh! Are you from America? I've always wanted to meet an American." Asuna replied, cocking her head to the side. "Now that I think about it, I should've pegged you as one immediately."

My hand flew to his neck, rubbing it awkwardly. A shy smile graced his lips. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good! You're very attractive for an American." The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and she slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed red in embarrassment.

The shy smile turned to a shit-eating grin at that. "Oh, you find me attractive, huh? No worries, same to you." I shot back, winking. "Okay, now that we're done flirting, I assume you're here for SAO as well?" I asked, brows furrowing in confusion. "I would have never expected a girl to be into games as in-depth as a VRMMORPG." At the look at her face, I quickly added. "Pardon me, I did not mean to offend."

"None taken. My Father works for Argus, and ever since I heard about SAO, I've wanted to play it. So, here I am."

"Interesting; my mother works for Argus as well, and I'd never turn down the chance to be a part of history in the making." I returned, smiling.

"Ten minutes! Ten minutes until we start giving out NerveGear and SAO!" The sales rep called out from the front door, loud enough for all 250 people in line to hear.

"Shit, it's so close!" I spoke to Asuna over the murmuring buzz behind them.

"I know, I'm so excited! Oh, before the shit-storm starts, we should trade sign-ins, so we can meet up in game." Asuna turned to me, a piece of scratch paper and a pen in hand. I quickly wrote down my name and my username. Tearing off the other half of the page, I handed her the pen. A few quick pen movements later, she returned my half of the page to me.

"What the hell kind of name is Splazin101?" She exclaimed, confused.

"Old name. Came up with it when I was at a retro night, playing Halo."

"Fair enough; what specifically made you come up wi-"

"Ma'am, it's time. Come get your NerveGear and SAO copy!" The sales rep called out to Asuna, a smile on his face.

"Oh thank god. See you in Aincrad Mark!" Asuna called out over her shoulder before showing her I.D. to the rep, snagging her NerveGear and game, and running towards the entrance of the mall the store was in.

I quickly showed my I.D. and grabbed my console and game before running out of the mall and to my car. The drive back to our house was the longest 15 minutes of my life. I didn't even wait for the garage door to shut all the way before leaping out of my car, grabbing my things, and sprinting inside. Half an hour later, the NerveGear was properly set up and I laid down on my bed, the NerveGear on my head. Turning it on, the screen in front of me flashed white, before a long string of script ran in front of my eyes; diagnostics.

Suddenly, everything was gone. Moments later, my eyes opened to blinding white. I looked around, finding nothing but a floating menu before me.

I filled it out and reviewed it.

Username: Splazin101

Name: Mark Sherman

Age: 19

I was surprised at the simplicity of the login; most MMO's have a longer sign-up page. I tapped the green check-mark down at the bottom, and the menu grew larger and displayed a body; my body, to be exact.

Use displayed physical form?

I always strived to create an avatar as close to my actual body as possible in other games; SAO would be no different. Tapping the green check-mark again, another box popped up. This one, however, held a countdown.

Entering Aincrad in 5...4...3...2...1...0

My vision turned to black for the second time today.

Welcome to Sword Art Online!

Flashed on a black screen before my vision cleared. I was no longer on my bed, or in a white room. A courtyard spread out before me; hedges ran along a path straight ahead, to massive double doors. Taking two steps forward, I stopped. Pulling up my menu and accessing my friends list, I sent a friend request to Asuna's username. A few moments later, my menu pinged, informing me that she accepted. I grinned, closing my menu before looking down. I wore the clothes that the display had shown me; a red shirt on black pants. A tip popped up in the bottom right of my vision.

Visit the market to purchase beginner armor and a weapon!

I shrugged. As good an idea as any. I strode to the double doors and pushed them open, stepping out into the Starting City.

The streets were packed with people and market stalls, NPC vendors hawking their wares claiming they had the best store in Aincrad.

I browsed idly as I wandered the city. One stall caught my attention.

Learn a new skill! 500 Cor!

Intrigued, I made my way to the stall owner.

"What skill are you teaching?" I asked the NPC.

"Polearms, my good sir! Halberds, poleaxes, naginatas, and glaives."

"What's a glaive?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

"Think curved blade mounted on top of a pole; not unlike a spear, but more for slashing attacks."

"I like it. Do you know how much a basic glaive would cost me?"

"Tell you what, my good sir. I like you, so I'll tell you about the deal the weapon smith and I made. You get trained in polearms from me, and he throws in a free polearm of your choice; within reason of course."

I checked my account. 750 Cor to my name, and I'm about to drop 2/3rds of it already.

"I'll take it." I grinned at the NPC, and his smile got even wider.

"I knew I liked you for a reason, good sir!" Opening my menu, I watched my 750 Cor drain to 250; opening my skills tab, a new one had appeared, Polearms, at level two; the rest of my skills were at level one, unsurprisingly. "Now," the NPC spoke, and I looked back to him. "Go to the Weaponsmith three stalls down and tell him the Trainer sent you. I'll give you this letter for him, proving your authenticity good sir. Good luck, and good hunting!" He called out as I took the letter and turned away, waving as I made my way to the Weaponsmith.

This stall was crowded; while the Trainer's stall had been all but abandoned, this stall had players flocked to it like white on rice. After waiting in line, it was finally my turn.

"What can I get for you, Splazin101?" The Weaponsmith asked, hands on his hips.

"I have this, ah, note from the Trainer. Something about a free polearm?"

The Weaponsmith's eyes lit up and he grinned.

"Congrats, friend! You're the first one to get training in SAO ever! I'll give you the polearm of your choice, and an IOU for a free set of armor from the Armorsmith."

"God, you're kidding!" Someone in line called out behind me. "What makes him so special?!" Another cried out, outraged. I spun on my heels to address everyone behind me.

"All I did was pay 2/3rds of my starting Cor for polearm training; I doubt any of you have spent more than a hundred today. I had no idea I'd get all this free stuff, so you all can stuff it!" I shouted, irate at the ignorance of the other players.

"Bullshit! You must be a Beta tester!" Another one cried out.

"What? No!" I responded, flustered. As the cries of the line behind me raised in intensity, I turned back to the Weaponsmith, accepted the glaive he offered me; the Tempered Steel Glaive. Equipping it and strapping it to my back, I jogged away from the line of angry, jeering players and towards the Armorsmith.

"Here's your new armor." The Armorsmith spoke, smiling as my inventory registered four new items. Equipping the Iron Gauntlets, Iron Breastplate, Iron Greaves, and Iron Boots, I thanked the NPC and moved out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the Starting City. I took a moment to examine my armor; I figured weak spots would be something I would have to become accustomed to protecting. My gauntlets were fingerless leather gloves with a long and wide piece of iron covering the top of my forearm, extending down over the back of my hand. The boots were leather boots with iron covering the front. The breastplate was pretty standard; no shoulder-plates, covering my chest to my navel and from my neck to the small of my back. The greaves were much like the boots, covering the front and sides of my thighs. Thankfully, the crotch wasn't uncomfortably tight.

"What, no helmet?" An unfamiliar voice asked. I looked up to see a man with long red hair and a red and yellow bandana around his forehead.

"I could ask you the same thing." I shot back as I rose to my full 6'3" height. The man had basic leather armor on.

"I don't like helmets; they impede vision." I laughed at that. "What's so funny?!" He asked, getting a little riled up.

"Nothing, nothing! It's just funny, that's why I don't have one either." I smiled apologetically, and after a moment we both burst out laughing. I spoke first, introducing myself. "I'm Splazin101, nice to meet you." I thrust my hand out. He shook it with a grin before responding.

"I'm Klein, nice to meet you as well." Klein looked back and forth, almost suspiciously, before leaning forward and whispering in my ear. "Did you play in the beta?" I looked at him, brows furrowed, before shaking my head. He leans back, shrugging. "Sorry. Had to ask; you seem too well equipped to be a normal player." I shrugged as well.

"It was weird, honestly. I got training for Polearms from the Trainer and he gave me an IOU for a free polearm of my choice from the Weaponsmith, who then gave me an IOU for an armor set of my choice at the Armorsmith." Klein's jaw dropped.

"No way, seriously?! Do you think it'll work for me?" I shook my head.

"I doubt it; the reason I got the IOU from the Trainer was that I was the first to get training. Like, out of all..." I checked the general game info before continuing. "25,000 or so of us logged on right now."

"Holy shit, there are 25,000 logged on right now? I thought it'd be closer to 10,000."

I leaned back against the wall. "I don't know, 25,000 makes more sense. NerveGear may be expensive, but it's not THAT expensive." I felt my fingers begin to tap a tune against the brick; at that, I pushed off the wall and turned to Klein. "C'mon, let's go kill stuff." I said, holding out my hand. He shook it, nodding his head before following me towards the main gate.

"Nice one, Splazin!" Klein called out as I made short work of yet another Frenzy Boar. Another 30 Cor to my wallet, bringing me up to 400.

"That's five for me, Klein! Get off your ass and keep up!" I called out, charging towards another boar. As it neared, I brought my glaive in a diagonal slash; then the weirdest thing happened. The blade of my glaive glowed blue, then slashed through the Frenzy Boar at a speed that I could've never reached. I watched as the boar burst into glittering shards, and the pop-up menu confirm another kill. It took me a second to be able to move again. I turned, and looked at Klein.

"Did you see that?" He nodded, dumbstruck. "You try it!" I called out, lifting my glaive above my right shoulder before bringing it down. Right as the blade was parallel with my body, it glowed blue again before coming down at a blinding speed. I noticed that for a second after the swing, I couldn't move. Once I regained control over my body again, I turned to see Klein slash through a boar using the same technique I had. I jogged over to him to compete notes.

"So, this must be one of those Sword Skills that the trailer went on about." Klein spoke first.

"Oh yeah! It's what the creator used to take the place of magic in-game, right?" I asked. "That was a ballsy move by Akihiko Kayaba honestly. No magic in an MMO? Crazy." I spoke, thinking aloud.

"I'm going to have to agree with you there, friend." Klein said. "But anyways." He continued, pulling up his menu. I watched as he went through the tabs before reaching the Skills tab, then accessing the Sword Skills page. "Check this out, Splazin; there are two more basic sword skills we have access to; Vertical, and Horizontal." He brought his sword to his non-dominant side; it glowed yellow before cutting a wide arc in front of him. His eyes glittered with excitement. "This is so cool!"

I grinned and nodded before turning away from Klein and raising my glaive above my head. The blade glowed red, and then I brought it down in a killer swing, faster than I thought I ever could have. I turned to Klein with the same look in my eyes. "This isn't just cool; this is fucking wicked!" I called out. "Now come on, Klein! We may be even, but I think these skills will make grinding way easier; prepare to eat my kill-counts dust!" I yelled over my shoulder, charging another boar with my glaive raised. One Vertical later and I was 30 Cor richer and closer to level 2.

The next few hours were a blur of sword skills, playful banter with Klein, and lots of dead boars. Before we both knew it, it was 5:20.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, checking the time. Klein cut down another boar, but he didn't even let it finish dissolving before he was by my side.

"What, Splazin? What's wrong?" I shook my head, opening my menu.

"Mom's going to be home in ten minutes, and I haven't done my chores yet! She's going to freak!" I cried, frantically searching my menu. A minute later, I still had no luck. "Hey Klein, do you know where the logout button is?"

"Should be right under 'help' and 'options'." He responded from his spot he'd taken in the grass. "Hey Splaz, check out this view." I turned to see an orange sun I'm lowering towards the horizon while it cast warm rays onto the plains.

"Amazing." I muttered. "I can't believe we're in a game, you know?" I asked, my logout problems momentarily forgotten. "This looks like something out of a painting, not an MMO."

"I know what you mean." Klein replied, smiling softly. I turned back to my menu, brows furrowed.

"Klein? Can you check your menu for the logout button?"

"Yeah, sure bud." Klein flipped through his menu, his face turning graver. "Huh, weird. I can't find it."

"Me either." I replied. Before I could say any more, a bell sounded. Klein and I looked around in confusion; there was nothing nearby that could've housed a bell. The sound rang out again, and my vision flashed white before it changed. Suddenly, it wasn't just me and Klein out in the fields. We were in a throng of people, back in the Starting City. "Must've been a forced teleport." I commented. "I wouldn't be surprised, since it's Day One." Klein just nodded in agreement, scanning his surroundings. A flash of red caught my eye suddenly; red oozed from the sky. I was startled. This ooze morphed into a giant, hooded, faceless figure in the sky.

"Players!" The figure called out. "My name Akihiko Kayaba. This is my game. By now, I'm sure you've noticed that the logout button is not there. This is not an error, or a glitch." A collective gasp rose from the crowd. "There are two ways out of SAO. You win, or you die." The sky behind him soon became fettered with news casts in all manner of language, all with the same three letters. SAO. "There were 25,000 copies of Sword Art Online released earlier today. All 25,000 of those copies logged someone on today. There are now 24,787 players online. The 213 missing players are dead. They either died in the field, or someone tried to remove their NerveGear. There are 100 floors to clear before you can all go home. Here's a gift to get you all started."

Every player in the city received a notification of a gifted item. I opened my gift, equipping it.

"A Hand Mirror?" As I looked into the mirror, it flashed. I saw everyone else's mirror flash as well, and they changed. Some shortened, others changed gender. "It changes you back to who you are IRL..." I muttered before turning to Klein. He hadn't changed much, beyond a scruffier face and shorter, spikier hair. I turned full circle, watching as everyone came to the same realization I had. "Klein." I said, loud enough to get his attention. "I'm going to go. I have a feeling this place is going to go downhill in a few minutes, so I'm going to get out there, and win this damn thing. You in?" He thought for a second, but then began slowly shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Splaz but I can't. A bunch of friends and I got this game, and I can't just leave them in here to fend for themselves." I nodded, grudgingly.

"I understand." I spoke, giving him a smile.

"Thanks Splaz, that means a lot. But hey, I'll add you to my friends list, yeah? Don't be a stranger."

"Yeah, you too Klein." He turned to go, but I called to him again. "Oh, and Klein?" He looked over his shoulder, eyebrow raised. "Call me Mark. Keep it on the down-low though, yeah?" He rolled his eyes and winked; and with that, my time with Klein was over, for now. I pushed my way through the crowd towards the nearest exit before taking off at a brisk jog. The streets were all but abandoned, save for the NPC's. The road sign pointed towards Horunka Village. Deciding that level 3 was good enough to change settlements, I took off towards the main gate.


	2. Chapter 2

"Splazin101!" Someone called out behind me just as I put down another mantis. I turned to see a good friend I'd made in the past month.

"Argo! How good to see you. What're you doing all the way out here?" I asked, slinging my glaive across my shoulders. "This is the Labyrinth; a bit dangerous for an information broker, don't you think?"

She grinned, waggling her finger. "Ahaha, all information comes at a price." I rolled my eyes good-naturedly before transferring 250 Cor to her. "Thanks so much, friend. I'm actually here to find the entrance to the labyrinth; I thought I would be the first one in. Guess I was wrong."

"Eh, wouldn't be the first time." I winked. It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"It was one time!"

"It's always a slippery slope after the first time, beautiful." I winked again, and she smacked me on the shoulder, smiling.

"Stop that, you're going to develop a twitch. But enough flirting; why do you know where the entrance of the Labyrinth is, but nobody else, not even me knows where it is?"

"Information always has its price." I shot back, smug. Argo groaned before transferring 500 Cor to me. "Thanks so much."

"So? How'd you find it?"

"Asked an NPC."

"You're kidding!"

"Not in the slightest." The grass rustled to my right and I dropped into a combat stance, glaive at the ready. Another mantis came out, hissing and swinging its claws with a menacing glare. I groaned. Rolling forward, I came up crouched and used my glaive as a spear and jabbed the mantis in one of its giant red eyes; a Slant took out the other, blinding it. It was a joke to finish off.

"Wow." Argo spoke; I had almost forgotten she'd been there. "You're even better than the rumors say." I turned, confused.

"There are rumors about me?"

Argo scoffed. "Don't let it get to your head, but yes. How can people not talk about the only glaive-user in all SAO?"

I shrugged, nonplussed. "I don't know; I figure they have better things to talk about."

"Not likely. The only thing people can talk about these days is the best players, and right now? That's you. You're level 15 for God's sake, you could probably solo the floor boss right now! What are you waiting for?"

I shifted my weight, uncomfortable with the sudden interrogation. Then my head snapped up.

"Wait a minute. How the hell do you know my level?"

"Seriously? Information is my job, idiot." I groaned.

"I hate you sometimes, Argo."

"You didn't hate me when I told you where the best blacksmith on the floor was."

"No, but I did hate the price for it."

"Got to make a living somehow."

"By bleeding me dry?"

"Not just you!" She exclaimed, hands raised in a gesture of peace. I rolled my eyes, she must think I'm mad about it.

"Chill, Rat. I'm not mad. Like you said, I'm level 15; practically rolling in Cor at this point. But hey, since you're here, do you want to do me a solid?" I asked, transferring 750 Cor. Her eyebrows raised at the amount.

"I'm listening."

"Message all of the players you know over level ten, and get them to message everyone over ten that they know."

Argo quickly pulled up a message, marking 50 or so names. "What do you want it to say?" She asked once she was done, looking up expectantly.

"Tolbana. Boss meeting. Tomorrow, 10:00." I spoke with a confidence I never knew I possessed. "It's time to get off of this floor."

Argo nodded, grinning as she sent the message. "Why the change in heart?" She asked, closing her menu and crossing her arms.

"You're right, loath as I am to admit it. I'm one of the strongest players-"

"You are the strongest, Splaz, hands down."

"Ugh, really?" I groaned. "I don't need this kind of stress." I turned away, before looking back over my shoulder. "You're serious, though? I'm the strongest player in Aincrad?"

Argo nodded, lips pulled into a tight line. I smiled softly.

"It's the responsibility of the strong to help and protect the weak." I spoke, loud enough for her to hear me. I turned back and looked Argo in the eye. "That's why I've had a change in heart. If I don't do something, who will? That's why I have to do this; because if we don't beat this floor boss and get the ball rolling, then we'll just be stuck here on the first floor for the rest of our lives." I rolled my shoulders before stalking further into the jungle, leaving Argo behind. She'll be fine, I told myself. I picked up the pace, jogging through the forest until I came upon a clearing.

Suddenly, five of the mantises spawned in an arc in front of me, hissing and marching towards me menacingly. In a flash, my glaive was in my hand. I charged forward, letting loose a Horizontal and damaging all five of the bloodthirsty insects. I rolled to my right to dodge an overhead slash from the middle mantis to between the right side mantises. I began to savagely assault the mantises, hacking legs off so their heads were even with mine; two quick cuts, and their heads rolled away from their bodies before they both burst into polygons.

I leapt forward, twisting in the air and watched as the scythes of the middle mantis came crashing down where I had been a second ago. I moved as soon as my feet touched the ground, executing the mantis just as I had the one earlier; stab the eye, slash the other, dismember until dead.

The last two mantises advanced warily after watching their comrades get cut down. I stood, ramrod straight with my glaive to my side, and waited. After a moment of waiting, they charged, scythes raised, killer intent obvious. When they were fifteen feet away, I settled into my stance. Ten feet, I readied. Five, I swung. Zero. Two mantises charged past me as their scythes flew away. I turned around and watched them both explode into polygons. I closed the rewards menu and went on my way.

I brought up my menu. The time read 10:00 even. I stepped up to the podium.

"Good morning, and welcome." I called out to the audience. "I'm Splazin101, and I fancy myself to be a legionnaire!" I grinned and thumped my chest, eliciting laughs from the crowd. "There are no jobs in this game!" Someone cried out. I flipped him off. I gave the rest of them a few seconds to calm down before I continued. "All jokes aside, I think we all know why we're here." And with a few words, the mood dropped. I opened my inventory, and picked up the Field Guide. "The Field Guide that was given to every player on our third day lists the first floor boss as Illfang the Kobold Lord. He wields a hand axe and a buckler, and has four HP bars. Once he gets to one health bar left, he tosses his axe and shield away and used a Tulwar, a large curved sword." I closed the book with a slam. "So! We're going to have to use some advanced tactics here. This guy's going to be a doozy, am I right?" I grinned. "So! Here's the plan. Can I get a head count by raise of hands?" A quick count has 54 players in attendance, including myself. "Perfect! 54 players. That works out perfectly; I need the five highest level players to come up here with me. I'm level 17. Anyone level 16?" A man, who looked to be 20 or 21, in plate armor with a longsword and kite shield came up and stood by me. "Nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out. He shook it before responding.

"Diabel. It's an honor to meet the strongest player in Aincrad." I snorted.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm still sure Argo's full of shit about that." I grinned. "Alright!" I called out. "Anyone at 15?" Thankfully, about fifteen people stood up. "Alright, we get it, the level cap is at 15, sit the hell down." I joked, eliciting chuckles from the crowd. "I want the top seven players closest to level 16 to come forward." A few minutes trickled by, and I had my candidates. "Excellent! Those who remain, don't feel too bad. Look at the nine of us up here on stage. These," I gestured to myself and the other eight players, "are your party leaders. Nine parties, three groups, three roles. Offense, defense, and support." A few groans rang out at support. "I know, I know, playing support sucks. But, we need you lower-level players to cover us tanks and offensive players from Illfang's protectors, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels." I popped the guide back out again. "It says here that three of the Sentinels spawn first at the beginning of the battle, then each time we get through an HP bar, three more spawn. Support, it's your job to keep those Sentinels off our backs; we're going to lose a lot of lives if you don't, so just know that your job is just as, if not more important than Offense or Defense. We kill the boss, you keep us alive. Anyone who knows one of these players up here, go to them. If you don't know anybody, you're with me." Players began scrambling to line up behind their party leader; soon, we had 54 people in nine lines, six people deep. I stepped forward and towards the middle so everyone could see me. "The three parties on the left," I pointed to my five and the other two lines, "are on offense. We slip in, do as much damage to the boss without risk, and then switch. The middle," I pointed at the three middle parties," are defense. You all switch in when offense needs it, deflecting blows and the like. Just because you're on defense, doesn't mean you can't get a few hits in. If you see SAFE opportunities to do some damage, then by all means, take it but no unnecessary risks. Now. That leaves you three," I pointed to the parties on the right, "in the support role. I've already been over what you guys and gals do but remember; you're just as important as the rest of us. This plan needs you to succeed." I looked each of them in the eye, driving my point home. "Anyone else have something to add?"

"I do!" A hand shot up, and I gestured him forward; a middle height, stocky man. "Alright, I think we all know about the 1,000 beta testers that got to play this game before the rest of us. When this game started, they left us noobs in the dust, hogging all the good grinding spots for themselves. I think that any beta testers here should step forward, and give up all their stuff in compensation for the players that died in the hard grinding spots!" I decided to step in, but one of the party leaders decided to say something first.

"Can I say something?" He asked, deep voice reverberating throughout the amphitheater. He looked between me and the other player for confirmation.

"Free country." I quipped, grinning. He nodded, smiling in thanks.

"You all know of the free Field Guide gifted to every player in SAO on the third day; Splaz here's referenced it twice already. You think the beta testers should pay for the deaths of the other players? Beta testers wrote the guide, you idiot, free of charge. Everyone who died before the third day should've known better, and anyone who's died since DEFINITELY should have known better. Do you realize how much money the beta testers could've made off the Field Guide? The potential is hundreds of thousands of Cor, and they gave it out for free, risking their own necks for this information. Hell, Splaz here's in it, giving tips for combat using the Sword Skills. I don't know if he's a beta tester-"

"I'm not." I interrupted, before gesturing for the man to continue.

"But he is still here, doing his best to clear this game, just as the rest of us should be! So... What's your name?" The big African man asked, turning to the stocky guy.

"Kibaou."

"So Kibaou, how do you think we should play this game? Against each other, or against the game?"

Kibaou nodded once, slinking back to his line. The black man, Agil, shook my hand, introduced himself, and then returned to his party as well.

"Alright, now that's done, let's break. I want everyone in their party, starting now, and stay in it until we kill Illfang tomorrow. We'll meet at 10:00. Alright? Go get food together, grind, and learn each other's styles. Gears in a system can only work if the gears all operate correctly." With that note, I nodded and made my way back to my party.

I brought up the party function, and invited all of the players to my party. Five names popped up below mine in the top left of my HUD; Kirito, Ferosknight, Wrathian87, Clove, and Asuna. Wait.

"Asuna?" I muttered.

"Splazin101..." A girl did the same across from me. I looked up, grinning.

"Holy shit, Asuna!" She looked me in the eyes, recognition finally washing over her.

"Oh my God it's you! You're alive!"

I surged forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy to see you, after I couldn't find you on the first day I thought you had died!" I exclaimed, pulling back to look at her. "And look at you, miss 'I'm not a gamer,' at the boss meeting!" She scoffed good-naturedly.

"Look at me? Look at you! Strongest player in Aincrad, and a natural leader to boot." I blushed from her praise, rubbing the back of my neck. Another girl, about my height extraordinarily pretty with long blonde hair down to her ass and piercing grey eyes spoke up.

"When I showed up to the boss meeting, I was expecting to get stuck with some terrible party, and just suffer; instead, here I am partied with the Aincrad Legend? Unbelievable!" I flushed to an even deeper red.

"Guys, it's not that big of a deal. I'm a normal person, just like you."

"I agree." The third girl, who had boyish brown hair and brown eyes spoke up.

"Thank you! Now, if we're done discussing my reputation, we're going to the tavern in town to get to know each other. Any objections?" I asked, looking around at each of their faces. The girls seemed interested; one of the boys, with pale skin and black hair shifted his weight; obviously uncomfortable, but grudgingly willing to listen. The last man, a tan, black haired adult who had yet to say anything. None had objected, so I lead them to the local tavern.

The tavern was quaint, the atmosphere homely as the six of us sat at a table munching on our food.

"So." I spoke, breaking the silence. "I'm Splazin101. I'm from America, but I moved to Japan about a year ago. I'm 19." I nodded to the girl next to me to continue.

"I'm Wrathian! I'm from Italy, but I moved to the U.S. when I was 3 and then to Japan when I was 15. I'm 18."

"Hello, I'm Asuna! I was born and raised in Japan, and I'm 18 as well.

"Clove. England. 21."

"Kirito. Japan. 17." We all turned to Feros, the silent member of our party.

"Feros. 20. United States." He finally spoke, voice gruff.

"Now that awkward introductions are over with, we're going to cover combat tactics. I'll start; I'm a naturally offensive player, using my Glaive to keep enemies at a distance while doing significant amount of damage."

Asuna spoke next. "I use my Rapier for fast, damaging attacks. Lots of offense, not too much defense." Then Wrathian.

"I prefer the longsword and tower shield; the perfect blend of attack and defense."

"One handed sword, and that's it. All offense." Kirito spoke, curt as usual.

"No shield?" I spoke up, confused. He shook his head, leaving no room for discussion. "Fair enough. Clove?"

"Clove is my name, tank is my game. A tower shield, not unlike Wrathian, but with a spear for some offensive capabilities. Definitely more defensive though."

For the second time today, we all turned to look at Feros. After a moment, he spoke.

"Longsword and kite shield. Offensive and defensive balance." I grinned.

"Perfect."

As the final mantis burst into polygons, the party let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Thank god that's over." My voice broke through the sound of six pairs of lungs sucking in oxygen.

"What was the final kill count?" Wrathian piped up, turning to look at me.

I swiped through the menu before responding. "34 Mantises, dead courtesy of The Sensual Six." Wrathian, Clove, Asuna and Kirito all laughed at that. Feros remained stoic as ever. "In all seriousness, nice job guys. Any good drops?"

"Just lots of Cor and XP here." Asuna spoke first; the rest nodded with agreement.

"Nothing wrong with that!" I spoke. "Well shit, I didn't know I was so close to a level up! I must've hit level 18 at some point in that fight." I flipped through my menu to the skills tab; there was an open slot that wasn't there the last time I checked. "Huh. New skill slot." I tapped the square, and a list of options came up.

"What're your options?" Wrathian asked.

"Come over here and look if you're curious; I don't mind." I browsed through my options. Cooking, Music, Mercantile, all non-combat skills that don't interest me. Then I saw Weaponsmithing. "I've made my decision." I spoke, tapping on Weaponsmithing and confirming that this was the skill I wanted to choose. I checked the time before closing my menu. "Alright team, it is 6:00. Do we turn in, or press on?"

"Let's turn in; I have a few errands to run before the fight tomorrow." Asuna piped up. Kirito voiced his agreement.

"I agree as well, I want to do some smithing before the day is over." I spoke, and that was that.

By 730, I had bought 25 iron bars, and convinced the local smith to let me use his forge. By 800, I was stomping back into the blacksmith's shop, buying 25 more bars and selling the smith 17 piles of bent metal, and 8 iron swords.

"Thank you for your business!" The NPC called out as I stomped out.

"Eat shit." I growled.

Even in my bad mood, I managed to raise my smithing level by three, and was far more successful in creating iron weapons, even improving the ones I made and selling them back to the NPC for more than the materials had cost, barely.

"Breaking even isn't so bad." I spoke aloud as I closed the shop menu with the NPC. I strode from the blacksmith's shop towards the inn my party had rented for the night. The first floor was a tavern, with the six rentable rooms on the second floor. At around 830, I entered the tavern to the sound of clinking glasses, sloshing liquid, cheering and laughing. I shrugged. The boss fight was tomorrow; let them be rowdy now, it's good for morale. I spotted my party in the corner, all nursing drinks and chatting quietly. Except Feros, the damn stoic bastard.

"Hey!" I called out as I got to our table, grinning. "The Sensational Six are reunited once again!"

"It's been three hours." Clove spoke, deadpan.

"Two and a half, but you can eat my shit Clove." I retorted, my smile widening. She shrugged.

"Fair enough. Go get a drink, you useless ninny! This here's the alcoholics-only table." I flipped her off before weaving my way through the crowd to the bar.

"A pint of ale, if you please good sir."

"Of course, friend! That'll be 6 Cor."

Drink in hand, I plopped back down at the table.

"So!" I shouted, slamming my hand on the table, making everyone jump. "How's everyone doing?" I received multiples glares, but kept up my smile until they relented.

"We're stressed." Wrathian spoke up, breaking the silence. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh?" I lock eyes with all five of them, in turn. They nodded in agreement. "About what?"

"The boss fight tomorrow." Asuna this time.

"What about it? Are you guys worried you're going to die tomorrow?" More nodding. "That's fair." I spoke, clasping my hands and sagging my head. "Truth is," I looked up after a moment, "I am too. I'm scared to die, and I'm scared that any of you will die because of me, because I didn't do a good enough job. I'm scared out of my fucking mind." I chuckle humorlessly, running a hand through my hair. "But, I'm not going to let my fear control me; that's how you make mistakes, and tomorrow any mistake could be lethal. I can't promise none of you will die; but I can promise that I'm going to do my best to save each and every one of us." My jaw tightened with determination. "If any human dies in that boss fight tomorrow, it won't be because of me, but I'll take full responsibility nonetheless." I analyzed each of my group, one by one, until I felt satisfied with my quelling of their anxiety.

I broke out into a grin. "Now that my motivating speech quota for the day has been met, let's drink, be merry you motherfuckers! They're on me tonight!" The whole table erupted in cheers, save for Feros, whose lips quirked into the hint of a smile, nodding at me in approval. I raised my glass to him, taking a large swig. Within the hour, the whole inn had gathered around our table, listening in our stories, laughing and cheering and smiling, their worries forgotten for the moment.

Satisfied with my work, I quickly snuck out of the inn; not stealthily enough, however. Wrathian joined me soon after.

"Nice speech, Boss-man." I jumped slightly, before turning to her.

"Thanks, underling." I shot back jokingly.

"Seriously though." She spoke seriously. "We were way concerned, and now it's like we're doing business as usual instead of starting a fight for our lives tomorrow." I smiled softly.

"Thank you. You guys needed it."

8 A.M came too early for my tastes. Rolling out of bed at the sound of my alarm, I re-equipped my Steel Armor and Tempered Steel Glaive+2 before trudging out of my room and into the inn below. Due to how early it was, the inn was nearly bare save for Feros over in the corner. I ordered some breakfast, then sad with him. I focused on eating, but I could feel his stare. After a few minutes, I stopped eating and met his gaze.

"Why are you sitting with me?" Feros said, his deep voice barely a whisper. I cocked my eyebrow.

"You're my teammate, and we could all possibly die today. Do I need a better reason than that?"

Feros didn't reply initially, a pensive look forming. An approving nod was all I got, in the end. Not five minutes later, Clove moseyed down the stairs, grabbing breakfast and joining Feros and I, opting to force Feros further down the bench and sit across from me. Their shoulders touched, and I saw a hint of a blush appear on both their faces. They were saved from glorious embarrassment by Asuna and Kirito, who I moved out of the way for, allowing them to squish against each other before I sat back down. Not long after, Wrathian sat down across from me, giving me a warm smile before digging into her food.

It was 900, and everyone had just finished eating. I gave everyone leave to go spend their hour of free time however they wanted; so long as they were at the amphitheater in time to meet up with the rest of the squads. I spent my time at the forge, improving my gear. All of my armor pieces went from base values to +2, increasing my total armor value by 16 up to 66 and I managed to get my glaive to +4, increasing its damage by 20 for a grand total of 50 damage. I sent a quick message to Argo that my stats had reached new maxes. 500 Cor added itself to my account; I quickly messaged the numbers to values to her. Argo's response was "Goddamn it Splaz, breaking more records as per usual." I grinned, before responding with my usual snarky retort. I checked the clock again; 9:43. Perfect.

At 10:00 exactly, I strode onto the amphitheater podium, joining the rest of the squad leaders. "Alright." I began once everyone had settled down. "We all know why we're here, yeah?" Nods and murmurs of agreement were their response, some of them still rubbing sleep out of their eyes. "Good. Then I don't need to tell you what's at stake here. Let's get moving. I want the groups to stick together, you should all be well acquainted by now. My party leads, followed by a defensive party, behind which is a support party. Alternate as such, offense in front, defense in the middle, support in the back. Grab your shit and let's go." I finished with a grin, leaping down from the podium and walking towards the town exit. My party filed in behind me, and 48 of the best players in Aincrad quickly fell into step as well, idly chatting and cracking jokes. I lead the pack silently, my mind running a mile a minute. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and knew I had been discovered.

"You okay boss?" Wrathian asked from behind me.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." I lied, ever moving forward.

"That's bullshit and we all know it. We haven't kept secrets from you, so don't make us start now." Wrath shot back, a bite in her tone. I sighed dramatically before continuing.

"Alright, fine. You all really want to know?" Five heads nodded. "Ugh. I hate you all."

"Love you too!" They all cried. I flipped them off.

"Fine. I'm scared as shit." I spoke before stopping and dragging the five of them off the path, gesturing for the rest of the group to move forward. "I'm terrified. Honestly. So many of you look up to me like I'm the second messiah, and I'm scared that someone here is going to die and it's going to be my fault. I just refuse to let someone die today."

They all stood silently, shocked for a moment before Wrathian stepped forward after a moment, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. "None of us are going to die today, Splaz. We're going to clear this floor boss and get the ball moving so to speak. We're going to beat this horrible game, and everyone is going to remember you for it." I screwed my eyes shut, breathing deeply. After a moment, I looked back to them all.

"I know we've only known each other for a day, but the lot of you already mean so much to me. I'm sorry for getting emotional."

"It's okay. Reminds us that you're human." Clove pipes up.

"Now that my emotional breakdown is out of the way, let's go kick some kobold ass, yeah?"

"Yeah!" My misfits cheered. In minutes, we were back where we belonged at the front of the group.

After an hour of following the path I had cleared days before, we made it to the gates.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The 1st floor boss. Our success here could mean life or death for the rest of the SAO population. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. This is the most important moment that we will ever experience in this game, second only to the boss at the 100th floor. The thousands of other players will remember us for what we do today, whether we win, or lose. Let's try to win though, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Fifty three voices called back in unison. The grin that formed couldn't be helped. "Who wants to do the honors?" I asked, gesturing to the massive metal door behind me.

"You do it!" Someone cried, soon by others agreement. I only rolled my eyes.

"Fine. Fine! I'll do it. Everybody ready? I assume everyone remembers the strategy?" Nods were their answer, faces turned solemn. I took a deep breath, turned to the door, and pushed them open. The stark white of the throne room assaulted my eyes, violently contrasting with the dull greens and grays and browns that we had traveled through. Pillars ran down the sides of the room. The Kobold Lord sat on his throne, beady eyes pinning us with his gaze, lips pulling into a sneer. As the 54 of us strode into the room we quickly split into our squads and spread out.

As I stepped past the midpoint of the throne room, the Kobold Lord let out a roar before leaping a fourth of the distance of the room, landing with a thunderous crash, cracking the virtual tile.

"Remember the plan!" I managed to scream before he was on us. The defense squads stepped up, blocking his initial sweep. Then it was our turn. I led the 18-player charge at the boss, a battlecry deserving of the Vikings of old, giving me goosebumps and boiling my blood. I leapt forward, stabbing at the Kobold's face with savage fury. The immobility frames from his initial attack forced him to take the blow, but did not stop him from smacking me out of the air during mine. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and ticked down a sixth of my health. I glanced at his first bar; already down to a fourth from the assault group's first offensive. I turned just in time to see the support groups bring down the last Sentinel.

"Sentinels down!" I called out. "Five teams on offense, four on defense. Watch out for that next sentinel spawn though! I amended last second before I charged back into the fray, dealing the blow that shattered his first health bar. Illfang leapt backwards, landing at the foot of his throne as three more Sentinels materialized, flanking him. Their movements synchronized, they stomped forward; Illfang's steps shook the ground underfoot. I had to give Kayaba points for a shock factor. This was new. Not quite good enough, though.

"Hold!" I roared over the rhythmic stomping. In my peripheral vision, the players beside me shook themselves free of the apprehension that held them. The defensive line stepped forward as the supports drew the aggression of the Sentinels. The pattern continued, almost predictably so, for two more health bars. When Asuna broke the last one, Illfang leapt back once again. But instead of pulling out a Tulwar as predicted, The Kobold Lord unsheathed a massive Nodachi. While the rest of us were staring in shock, Diabel charged forward with his sword skill at the ready.

"No!" I screamed. Illfang's eyes narrowed, gleaming with hate before he disappeared in a gust of wind, bouncing from pillar to pillar, barely visible. Diabel's eyes widened as he spun, trying to track the boss's next move. Suddenly, Illfang was behind him. I surged forward as fast as I could; not fast enough. The Nodachi came down in an earth-shattering blow, leaving a bright red mark down the middle of Diabel. He burst into polygons. I roared with fury. I brought my glaive back before thrusting it through Illfang's back. I saw two more blades cut deep into the boss; Kirito and Asuna. I pulled my glaive out and viciously attacked him, taking advantage of the immobility frames. Suddenly, Illfang turned. Fear gripped my heart. Rage still held my hands. With another battle cry, I reared back, and thrust my glaive through his mouth before he could make another move. The Kobold Lord's eyes rolled before closing, his body going limp and exploding into polygons as he slams into the marble tile. Many level up notifications sounded before a ping exploded a notification before me.

"Congratulations on clearing the first floor! Col will be distributed as the raid leader dictated. Last hit bonus goes to Player: Splazin101. Reward: Coat of Midnight." I read aloud in monotone. I previewed my rear before scoffing in disgust and gifting it to Kirito. I shook my head in sorrow before moving towards the door that had opened behind the throne. As I walked, I opened my menu and disbanded the party.

"Wait!" A voice called out behind me. Wrathian ran to catch up to me. I turned, pinning her with an agitated gaze.

"Well?" I asked expectantly. "Spit it out so I can get on my way." She bristled at that.

"What the actual fuck?! Not 36 hours ago you were spouting shit about getting along and gears in a machine and teamwork, and now you're just going to leave us? What happened to sticking together?!"

I shrugged.

"That was before I watched someone die."

I watched the rage slip from her face, morphing into sadness.

"That wasn't your fault. You know that... right?"

"No. I don't." I spat. I turned my back on the person I'd trusted most in Aincrad.


End file.
